News from the Chamber
Progress Report 2007/2008
The Chamber of Commerce was set up in 2006 to take over from the former Book Town Company, after its 10 year mandate expired in 2007 and from the two Wigtown Trade Associations which existed previously.
As an accredited Chamber, our members enjoy the benefits that being part of the Scottish Chambers network can bring: training opportunities; business advice and support systems; links with organisations at a national level including the Scottish Government.
We have already been involved in consultations with the Scottish Government on a range of issues through the Scottish Chamber and earlier this year (2008) participated in the Business in the Parliament Conference putting forward our views on Scottish tourism and economic development.
Enterprise Minister, Jim Mather has accepted an invitation to come to Wigtown to discuss economic issues with us later this year. Our discussions will include the Waterfront Regeneration Project in Stranraer together with the continuing development of tourism and the local economy in the Machars.
We have also produced a Guide to Wigtown’s Book Shops; are working in partnership with Castle Douglas and Kirkcudbright on a joint marketing initiative - Glorious Galloway - and have recently joined the International Organisation of Booktowns.
Ian Cochrane of the Old Bank Bookshop, went to the IOB Conference in Montereggio in Italy in May (2008) as Wigtown’s representative. Book towns from all over the world were present and Wigtown’s standing as Scotland’s National Book Town will have been enhanced by our presence.
The event also gave us the opportunity to learn more about successful initiatives being carried out in other parts of the world to bring about improved economic activity, ideas with a proven track record of success which we may be able to adopt here.
We have successfully completed the first phase of our Leader+ funded project in conjunction with Becherel book town in Britanny which culminated in a report with recommendations designed to strengthen the position of the core book businesses which make up our book town.
However, whilst the Chamber supports wider initiatives and longer-term goals, the present Board believes that we should not lose sight of the need for initiatives which deliver greater footfall and visitor spend in the shortest possible timescale.
For this reason, we have been working closely with the Wigtown Promotions Group who operate Wigtown Street Market and the Book Events Group with a view to supporting shorter events throughout the year outwith the main Book Festival in September/October which is organised by the Book Festival Company.
We have already funded marketing materials for the Wigtown Street Markets and have established a sub-committee to seek ways in which we can support the Promotion Group’s efforts to expand the market to bring about greater visitor numbers to the town.
We have also sought to raise the profile of Wigtown not just as a book town, but a visitor destination with many other things to see and do including our Local Nature Reserve, the largest in Britain and our ospreys. We are continuing to submit information about Wigtown to various travel and visitor information websites and are also continuing to lobby television programme producers to feature Wigtown.
We have also met with representatives of England’s Book Town, Sedburgh, to discuss ways in which we might engage in joint marketing intiatives for the benefit of both towns.
Perhaps a reflection of our work to date is the fact that we are now the largest local business organisation in Wigtownshire.
However, by far and away the most pressing need for the Chamber is the need to fund a full or part-time post for a development worker who will be able to help realise key projects aimed at increasing visitor numbers to the Machars in support not just of Wigtown’s book businesses, but all businesses in the district.
We are presently looking at the possibility of becoming the first rural BIDS area (Business Improvement District) and are considering funding options to allow us the chance to fund a paid member of staff to help us more effectively deliver real economic benefit for all.
We would encourage those businesses who have not yet joined the Chamber to do so as the more members we have, the stronger and more effective we will be in bringing economic growth to the area and therefore to your business.